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Published July 11th, 2017 by

Planning for SEO Before Executing Web Design

seo web design

Developing functional and aesthetic website has never been easier. There are plenty of experienced and talented web developers around the globe, and most of them will do a great job. There’s just one aspect you should be aware of. There are a lot of web designers who don’t have SEO education. Yes, your website’s looks will be perfect, but it can easily happen that search engines won’t be as benevolent. In the text below, you’ll see why you should work on SEO and website development simultaneously.

The web developer’s perspective of SEO

Keep in mind that most web designers will solely concentrate on the aesthetics of the website, and you should be aware that looks don’t do the job. You are in need for a website that will be search engine friendly. If you point that issue out, be prepared to get a typical answer. Your web designer will say that they have a good understanding of SEO, and you’ll be offered with Google Analytics tool, free of charge. You should know that most of those tools are free and just having it is not enough. Don’t get fooled that easy.

In order for a website to have good traffic and be visible on search engines, you’ll need a web developer who understands backlinking, keyword usage, content strategy and much more. You shouldn’t accept simplified answers about SEO. Your web designer should be more than familiar with all search engine optimization techniques. Therefore, try to avoid developers who concentrate just on the visual characteristics of the website.

The SEO’s perspective of website development

The other side of the coin is that SEO alone can’t create a fully functional website, as well. SEO experts will work on your website’s content, they’ll do backlinking and your website will rank much better on the major search engines. SEO professionals will make you a solid website, but it won’t look good enough. While some developers will try to convince you they are good at search engine optimization, SEO professionals have a different approach. They will be happy to refer you to an affordable web design company that can take care of the developing part of the job.

Another good thing about SEO experts is that they are aware of the importance of SEO. They will recommend you to work on SEO at the same time you work on website development. This is important because it will save you a lot of time and money. Try to avoid working solely on website design and leaving the SEO for later. It is much easier to build the website around your targeted audience than trying to meet their needs at some point in the future.

Which aspects of SEO should be included?

SEO

Image source: Freepik

All of the available SEO strategies and techniques are there to increase website’s visibility on the search engines. Good SEO must include keyword optimized content, backlinking strategy, properly implemented titles and H tags, and other little, but important things. In addition, you should think about your presence on social media by integrating social media add-ons to your website. At the end, consider the local SEO strategies, because they are made for new businesses, and can be very helpful.

How to manage SEO before building a website

As mentioned before, making a website before working on SEO can be, and most probably will be, the road to failure. It is much easier to work on your target audience first, get to know your customers, and then build the website around those findings. That way, you’ll be sure that you are offering them what they really need.

First of all, find out which search queries your customers use and use that info to decide on keywords you’ll be using on your website. You should use HTTPS by default since this is unavoidable in case you want to make financial transactions on your website. Keep in mind that your website will be viewed on a variety of devices, so make sure to optimize it for smaller screens.

Try to make high-quality content, because if you offer a real value to your audience, you’re not just going to keep your customers, their number will increase over time. That’s why it is crucial to have continuity both in quality and quantity of the content.

Use descriptive names for the images you’re going to upload on your website. Always use high definition images that are small in size. Your website will be loading faster and search engines just love speed. Take time to make good titles and tags for pages and posts you’re going to upload.

Final thoughts

It would be perfect if you could hire experienced web developer who fully understands SEO techniques and strategies. But, this is sometimes hard to find. Don’t feel bad about it, it is probably better to have two different persons for two different aspects of the job. Just make sure they coordinate and understand each other.

blake-davies

Blake is a marketing consultant, specializing in content marketing and SEO. When he's not on his computer, he likes to read, take long walks and play soccer.

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